Darkest Before The Dawn
by Reality Rachel
Summary: Mica never knew she would have an assassin after her. But that's the least of her worries. She's been having dreams lately that seem to have something to do with her mysterious older gentleman friend J. What other crazy things could happen to her now?


Pulling on the skin tight gloves was no task at all. He flexed his fingers a bit to feel the fit and then glanced down at the gloves. Thirteen was printed on the gloves in Roman numerals. "Bad luck." A spider in the distance busily spun his web. Rustling could be heard in the distance only meters away from where this stranger stood now. _The wind_, he thought. "If I had a nickel for every time we met this way," a child's voice rode on the wind and reached the stranger's ear. "You'd be rich," he replied in monotone.

A young girl wearing pink foot pajamas with cerulean blue ankle height boots stepped out into the moonlight. "Papa, why do you always sneak out of the house like this?" She giggled a bit as she questioned him.

"Quit calling me that I told you my name. You remember it right?"

"J wasn't it?" She wasn't quite sure why this guy was named after a letter but he'd said that was his name. "Is that really your name, or does it have special meaning?" No reply. Then, "Go home Mica," said J in a low authoritative tone.

"I'm better off on my own anyways." She briskly walked down the cold cobblestone street as the wind began to howl. "I don't think he even or ever had a soul." Mica said angrily. _Why am I so upset, he's just an empty shell_, she told herself. "No heart." She stopped walking as a particularly strong gust of wind whipped past her.

"You really shouldn't talk to yourself." a detached voice spoke to Mica. "Who are you?" she asked trying to mask her emotions.

"You could say I'm the voice inside your head. I'm your conscious." the voice laughed. "You know, let your conscious be your guide? All that Disney crap. But seriously." the detached voice turned grave.

_What is this guy getting at?_ she assumed it was a guy, unless this person was using a voice changer. They could be.

"You shouldn't have gotten involved with J." This person sounded jealous and angry. Mica glanced up at the moon and noticed it was slowly being covered over. "Lunar Eclipse, but they didn't say anything on the news." _How strange._

"Did you kiss her goodbye? I'm sure by now she's dead. My associate will have seen to that." J remained calm and cool as he stared at a man whom he'd thought he'd killed years ago. "Who are we talking about here?" J waited for a reply as he crossed his arms and drew in a low breath.

No reply came from the man so J started off on another topic.

"Scarlet." J uttered that single word and the man standing before drew out a silver dagger.

"You've forgotten my name already?"

"I'm hurt." the strange man raised the dagger and made to throw it. "Die." The dagger never left his hands. _What the hell?_ He drew a deep breath as he feel to his knees. His neck snapped around and he grimaced. A multitude of arrows lay embedded in his back.

"You should pay more attention to your surroundings old chap." J looked up at a building top and waved once at the archer who had shot the man with the barrage of arrows.

"Damn you J," he stopped short. J had taken the man's frame against his own and stabbed his right hand through this man's chest.

"Scarlet blood will run from your body." J slowly removed his hand from the man's chest and removed his right glove as well.

Mica's golden eyes peered up at the moon until at last only a sliver was left of it, and then it was gone.

Soft pastel purple eyes scanned the area around and searched for the target. The now dead man's associate was searching for Mica. A tough task to do in pitch black, this was going to be quite the obstacle.

A light flickered in the distance. Aspen took a long drag on his cigarette and exhaled slowly. _This is such a pain._ He flicked his lighter a few more times until it lighted. "This'll do for a light source."

J ran along the streets of the city, glancing at passing pedestrians as he neared them. He was frantically searching for Mica and the associate the man had sent after her. "I should have walked her home." He berated himself and hung his head low as he continued to cut his way through the city. _Please be alright. _He came to an abrupt halt as he had nearly darted into oncoming traffic when the street light had turned from red to green. Fidgeting he waited impatiently for the light to change to the walking man allowing him to cross in safety. _It sure is dark tonight_. It was then that J glanced up at the evening sky and noticed the lunar eclipse. He hadn't noticed earlier because of the illuminating warmth of all the electricity around him which the city emitted.

Mica's blue boots scraped against the pavement as she purposely drug her feet behind her as she walked. _I wish Papa, I mean J was here._ "No. Don't think that way; remember you said you didn't need him." She reprimanded herself and lightly slapped her cheeks to remind herself of what she'd said earlier. "But still, I wouldn't mind him being close by. This darkness is creepy."

Aspen straightened his tie and buttoned his cuff; he didn't want to look sloppy. He cared very much about his appearance, especially his work appearance. His gaze pierced through the darkness, it was a sad gaze. "Poor thing, it's too bad I'm going to have to extinguish such a young life."

Mica was balancing on the heels of her feet as she sat partially crouched underneath an array of blossoming white orchids. She breathed in the deep intoxicating smell of the sweet flowers as she lay her head down next to them. Aspen stood but a few feet away from the young child hidden in darkness. He reached up and gently stroked the plum blossoms on the knotted branch above him. _I know he's dead. I can feel it. _Aspen was referring to his now deceased employer_. Am I still to follow his will and kill her?_

J cocked his gun and looked on as he watched Aspen cradle Mica in his arms. Aspen looked up when he heard the gun click, and though it was pitch dark he seemed to look straight at J. "I don't know who you are, but if I were you I'd put the girl down." J said in his normal none caring, yet also sympathetic tone.

"And if I don't?" J pulled back the trigger and yet no bullet issued forth from the gun only smoke.

"This gun holds five bullets, there are only two inserted. How many more times can you risk your life? The odds are stacked against you."

"I take my chances." Aspen replied as he stroked Mica's cheek in an almost taunting manner.

Mica was dreaming. It was odd dream. J and someone else who she couldn't make out were standing in the middle of a lake; seemingly the two were walking on water towards one another.

"J! Wait for me!" She screamed out as she stumbled out towards the lake. She ran slowly, every step through the liquid slowed her progress towards J. "Dominus Deus," the stranger spoke as he lifted a gun and J mirrored his action. "Lord God," replied J as he repeated back what the stranger had said. Mica could only assume the language they were speaking was either Latin or Greek. "Salva nos!" The stranger lifted his arms up above his head gun still in hand. Mica watched in silence. "Save us," J said back. Then this dream took a turn towards being more like a nightmare.

J took his gun and turned it on Mica, the stranger did the same. "Save us from the enemy, grant this wretched soul release." Something heavy hit Mica in the chest. She looked up at J as tears began to stream from her eyes. Another crushing weight fell upon Mica as the second bullet the stranger had shot after J pierced straight through her heart.

Mica's eyes shot open. The first thing her eyes focused on was J. "J!" She exclaimed in a high pitched energetic wail. She hadn't the slightest idea she was being held by Aspen. She found that out when she tried to run to J and fell out of his arms though however. "Ouch." Tears formed in her eyes, it hurt. Mica really was quite the baby, even the slightest things threatened to make her burst out into tears.

J tried to keep his stoic and un-caring face intact as he watched Mica fall to the ground. Aspen on the other hand burst out laughing and had to turn away and compose himself before he could look at Mica or J again. "Not short on grace now are we?" Aspen said sarcastically. J glared at him and pointed his gun at him more forcefully; if that was possible. "Oh yeah, I forget we were about to have a shoot out before the little princess here woke up." Aspen was joking around a bit too much for someone who was staring down the barrel of a gun.

"You obviously don't understand the gravity of this situation boy." J temporarily moved the gun away from its target as he continued to speak. "You must know your employer is dead, otherwise no doubt Mica would be dead by now."

A cold shiver ran down Mica's spine as she finally picked herself up off the ground and backed away from Aspen.

Aspen frowned as he watched Mica inch away from him. _Am I so frightening?_

J set his gun in his holster and put the safety on. "You're lucky I'm in a generous mood today, otherwise I would have killed you for even thinking about killing Mica."

Mica glanced hard and long at Aspen and gave him a sympathetic smile.

"Oh hell no, no bratty little kid is going to feel sorry for me!" For some reason Mica's smile had set Aspen off and he now held an unlit grenade in his hand_. Feel sorry for me will you, you little bitch. I'll show you both. _"Don't do anything stupid." J hand drawn his gun out of his holster once again but it was too late.

Aspen held the now removed safety pin is his hand and threw it at Mica and J.

There was a flash of brilliant white light and thick grey smoke began to shroud the area around where Mica and J had stood. As the smoke settled, Aspen made his way over to inspect the damage that the grenade had done. He was pleased when he saw that Mica had only sustained minor wounds to her hands and feet. On the other hand J was not so lucky. His body was riddled with shrapnel, and he was bleeding profusely.


End file.
